Tech specs

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Not practical

Written by:RunnerBen

13/06/2017 02:39

1/5

I have had the stroller for about a year now and keep wanting to give it a chance but I can only find disappointment. I am an avid runner (14:20 5k, 2:26 marathon) and regret making this massive purchase every time I go running. I thought I was buying the best product on the market and I was wrong. The tires wear incredibly fast, the nuts and bolts rust, the sun visor included has no support and doesn't stay extended. In addition, the set up of the stroller was a nightmare. I had to continue to fine tune the adjustments so it would roll straight which is on going as my son gets bigger. In addition, I went to purchase the bug/rain net and was told that it is not available in the US. The stroller does roll nicely but with all the continual headaches I can't say it is worth it or any better than others on the market.

From my understanding this product is discontinued and rightfully so. I feel sorry for all of those who purchased this product including myself.

Now I am stuck with an insanely overpriced stroller and cannot afford to buy a different product. As of now, I will never buy another Phil and Teds product.

High Expectations Not Met

Written by:Race Brunch Repeat

19/02/2017 18:04

3/5

Training for a marathon and purchased the Sub-4 with the full intention of sharing this dream with my 16 month old, literally. I wanted a pram built for pure speed, no storage and easy to assemble and disassemble.

After 6 weeks and multiple runs ranging from a 10k race to a 30k long run, the pram has not met my expectations despite glowing reviews.

Main criticisms:
- Pram naturally veers to the right which suggests misalignment issues. I have been unable to fix this.
- Harness is too big for my daughter. Strap adjustments are not ideal and I worry the baby will fall out.
- Frame is extremely wide which itself has pros (i.e.stability) and cons. The cons are basically it barely fits into the boot, difficult to store and often does not fit on the sidewalk.
- Disc pad rubs against the wheel when the break is 'off'. Again, this can possibly fixed at a bike store but until that happens, the resistance is very high.
- I have concerns over durability. I will need to revisit this in 12 months however I hear lots of squeaking and rattling during my runs. The tyre treads are already showing signs of wear after 6 runs!

Main positives:
- Excellent suspension and large wheels make curb mounting extremely easy.
- Daughter had no issues sitting in the seat for 2.5 hours. This suggests the seat is very comfortable (or I am a smooth runner).

Other comments:
- Disassembly is fairly intuitive which is important for car transport
- There is no storage on the pram. You probably need the Jetpack add-on

Conclusion: Does this feel like the 'world's fastest running pram'? Until the veering and poorly aligned break pads get rectified, the answer is no.

Great buggy, let down by lack of finishing touches

Written by:CindyC

28/12/2016 14:22

4/5

I've purchased this for my husband to help look after our child while he trains for Ironman. We purchased online and the transaction was both speedy and smooth. It looks fast, and to make it look even faster, could use some spoke covers, to give it that 'disc wheel' look. The cocoon seat, while feels quite hard, is liked by our child - no padding required here!

The buggy arrived well packed, and instructions were clear and easy to follow - we had this assembled in less than 10 minutes. We spent the most time fine tuning the brakes; the discs were not centred, and the cable tensions were uneven. Without some basic cycling maintenance knowledge, this would have required us to visit our local shop for assistance.

The handle is height adjustable, and easily accommodates runners over 6 feet tall. It tracks reasonably well, and the weight of buggy+child is balanced to enable very minor inputs to correct steering. The ride is smooth, and the suspension works well, albeit for the rear wheels only. The large diameter wheels enables it to move remarkably easily - only minor loss in speed. If running into a headwind, however, the hood acts as an enormous wind-brake, and it doesn't sit in the retracted position very well. It could use a tether of some kind to hold it down.

When taking this out on the road, the buggy tracks to the left, and there isn't any trim adjustments to correct - it would benefit from micro adjusters as found on single speed bicycles on the front wheel to correct. The hubs would benefit from cartridge bearings rather than cheap cup & cone affairs. The quick releases need a more positive engagement, a click for example, to tell the user when it is fully locked in place. The brakes need greater modulation; the lever has a 'lock on' position, but in order to make the brake effective, this renders the lock unavailable as to pull the lever back far enough to engage requires gorilla strength. Finally, as its a run buggy, water bottle holders, bicycle light attachments and/or reflective strips would go a long way to making it visible/safer in low-light conditions.

In all, we still believe this is a worthwhile investment, however the attention to detail is lacking which prevents it from being a truly great purchase.

Amazing buggy but might not suit everyone.

Written by:DadofEli

15/12/2016 21:33

5/5

I saw this buggy online about 4 months before the birth of our daughter and knew than that I wanted one, as a dad, engineer, keen runner and cyclist it ticks lots of boxes though there are a few niggles.

First the good, which is all very very good:

Its a joy to push, running or walking this is our go to pram of choice (we have two) long country walks aren't a torturous endurance event on the wrists anymore, it simple glides over anything in its path. The suspension is perfectly tuned to balance out any roll and the big wheels iron out tree roots to ripples, it really is first rate. The handle is long and surprisingly narrow and very easy to change height between me and my wife, is perfectly balanced against the weight of the buggy and despite being a fixed front wheel changes of direction are more telepathic than a conscious effort. Its got 'proper' brakes, as a cyclist I take great comfort in having a degree of control with the brake, the brakes are a mixed blessing (see below). The build quality is on the whole very good, more inline with mountain bikes than run of the mill strollers, the base unit is tank like, surprisingly heavy but very stable and secure.

Now the bad, or niggles depending on your point of view:

The brake calipers are really basic, which in its self isn't a bad thing, they are functional and work within the limits of their requirements brilliantly but, you can't adjust the brake pads so one (or both) brake pads will squeal as they rub against the disc. For me with my engineers cap on this is an oversight in design, for my wife the squealing is incredibly annoying. Given that the rest of the buggy exudes quality its an annoying downside. I'll be looking to upgrade the calipers in the very near future to solve this problem.
The second issue with the brakes is the cable and its need to be constantly attached, the first time you need to break the buggy down to go in the car you'll see why this is a problem. A lightweight but cumbersome seat and handle unit, attached to a heavy and even more cumbersome base unit by a thin brake cable, not great especially in a muddy car park, screaming child, etc etc.
Its a big buggy, its wide to the point of only just getting through a standard door, its long and takes up a lot of space so need a big enough place to keep it alongside your day-to-day stroller.
The canopy is sprung into position and doesn't collapse, so putting our daughter (@6 months) into the buggy is more akin to posting her through a hole, its never been a problem and as she gets older she will merrily climb in by herself but its a niggle that could be resolved by the canopy folding flat.

Less of a negative for the P&T design team, but the frame needs some protection if you plan on putting the buggy in the car, trying to reattach the wheels and clip the seat to the base without dragging the paintwork over the ground is impossible without an F1 pit crew.

In short, this is a running buggy not a day to day stroller, so will only ever be a second+ stroller in your arsenal of child related paraphernalia. It has a couple of minor niggles (for me) that I will solve but I absolutely love this buggy, it looks awesome and is fantastic to use running or walking. My wife was initially intimidated by it (looks very tech and complicated) but now loves it, as long as i do everything bar lowering the handle. If you run or do a lot of long walks, this is a supreme piece of kit you will enjoy using.

light and actually fun - I kid you not!

Written by:Alice

26/09/2014 03:51

5/5

The problem when running with a push chair is all the extra energy you spend pushing the heavy object in front of you. You seem to not be able to run your normal distance due to all the extra weight you are pushing and the ease of the push chair.

Well I have just had a turn with the new Phil and Ted's sub 4, the king of running push chairs. To look at, you will notice it is wider and longer than the average push chair and has large wheels. The capsule the baby/ child sits in is aerodynamic. When running, it is actually FUN! Yes I did use the fun word as it is easy. The sub 4 is light and very mobile. It doesn't hinder your running like other pushchairs can.

I tried it out on my nine month old baby, who seemed to love it. I watched him lift his legs up and down to catch the Wellington gale. I also ran with my three year old daughter who chatted away and reported on all the things she could see and feel, loving the bumpy parts where the roots are overtaking the footpath.

So thank you Phil and Ted's, I would highly recommend the sub 4 as a healthy addition to your buggy range.

sub 4

Written by:Dashiell

24/05/2013 13:52

3/5

I have covered about 200km on and off with the sub4 and when it's working I love it. It's sleek, fast, and my 2 year old son Salinger seems to really enjoy it. He is always asking to go for runs and loves putting on his special running shoes in preparation.

sub 4

Written by:Dashiell

18/04/2016 11:17

2/5

I have covered about 200km on and off with the sub4 and when it's working I love it. It's sleek, fast, and my 2 year old son Salinger seems to really enjoy it. He is always asking to go for runs and loves putting on his special running shoes in preparation.

light and actually fun - I kid you not!

Written by:Alice

24/05/2013 13:51

5/5

The problem when running with a push chair is all the extra energy you spend pushing the heavy object in front of you. You seem to not be able to run your normal distance due to all the extra weight you are pushing and the ease of the push chair.

Well I have just had a turn with the new Phil and Ted's sub 4, the king of running push chairs. To look at, you will notice it is wider and longer than the average push chair and has large wheels. The capsule the baby/ child sits in is aerodynamic. When running, it is actually FUN! Yes I did use the fun word as it is easy. The sub 4 is light and very mobile. It doesn't hinder your running like other pushchairs can.

I tried it out on my nine month old baby, who seemed to love it. I watched him lift his legs up and down to catch the Wellington gale. I also ran with my three year old daughter who chatted away and reported on all the things she could see and feel, loving the bumpy parts where the roots are overtaking the footpath.

So thank you Phil and Ted's, I would highly recommend the sub 4 as a healthy addition to your buggy range.

Amazing Jogging Stroller!

Written by:J E R

24/05/2013 13:50

4/5

Pros: This thing is amazing. I own seven of them. My family actually uses them as our living room furniture. I've heard that if you roll it fast enough, it will take you straight to Hogwarts. Cons: It didn't come shipped with a mp3 player loaded with David Bowie hits.

Amazing Jogging Stroller!

Written by:J E R

24/05/2013 13:50

3/5

Pros: This thing is amazing. I own seven of them. My family actually uses them as our living room furniture. I've heard that if you roll it fast enough, it will take you straight to Hogwarts. Cons: It didn't come shipped with a mp3 player loaded with David Bowie hits.

Everything we want in a stroller...

Written by:Deena

24/05/2013 13:48

5/5

The Sub 4 stroller is everything we want in a stroller as its simple, streamlined and light. My most cherished time with my daughter is simply taking her out to enjoy nature. She's seen a lot of our beautiful surroundings zooming past as she exclaims "Oooooh!"

I'd like to think her elation is with me running so fast, but its more that she gets to see so much. Whether its wilderness or downtown, I enjoy sharing the world with her one step and stroll at a time.

Everything we want in a stroller...

Written by:Deena

24/05/2013 13:48

4/5

The Sub 4 stroller is everything we want in a stroller as its simple, streamlined and light. My most cherished time with my daughter is simply taking her out to enjoy nature. She's seen a lot of our beautiful surroundings zooming past as she exclaims "Oooooh!"